Who is qualified to earn Merit Badges

[ucan2k]

Webelos in our "brother" pack have earned their Arrows of Light and want to begin working on merit badges with our troop. (Many have brothers and dads who are leaders already in our troop.) It is custom for the pack to have the boys crossover at their Blue and Gold banquet. Some of the boys want to finish working on their All-20 Award. Can they work on merit badges with their brothers (and have the work count for earning them) prior to joining the troop while they're waiting for the banquet? The boys in question have earned their Arrows of Light and are at least 10 years old.

[smtroop168]

Webelos in our "brother" pack have earned their Arrows of Light and want to begin working on merit badges with our troop. (Many have brothers and dads who are leaders already in our troop.) It is custom for the pack to have the boys crossover at their Blue and Gold banquet. Some of the boys want to finish working on their All-20 Award. Can they work on merit badges with their brothers (and have the work count for earning them) prior to joining the troop while they're waiting for the banquet? The boys in question have earned their Arrows of Light and are at least 10 years old.

No. Accomplishments before joining, or while a Cub Scout, do not apply.

Crossover and the ability to join a troop after earning the AOL are separate events. If they want to finish their All-20 award, then they need to stay in Cubs otherwise put them on the troop roles and they could begin MBs

IMHO...the new scouts need to focus on RANK requirements...not MBs.

OBTW...Welcome to the Forum.

[ucan2k]

Thanks so much! This is very helpful

[kwildman]

They can not earn rank or merit badges until they are registered as members of the troop. That means that the transfer application is signed and submitted to council.

[FrankJ]

That means that the transfer application is signed and submitted to council.

You do realize that means recharter time for some troops?
If you make them wait until they receive their membership cards, it might be a couple of years.

[Mrw]

There should be no reason to hold transfer apps until recharter time.

A agree with the earlier posters though, that said the boys can work on finishing the last Webelos pins until the paperwork is submitted for the troop. Then they are Boy Scouts and can work on rank advancements and merit badges.

That being said, there is no reason you cannot transfer them to the troop now and still hold a formal crossover ceremony at the B&G.

My question here is: If the B&G is a BSA birthday celebration, for a date that falls in Feb, this seems quite late for it to still be planned and not over.

[wagionvigil]

When the applications are submitted cards are issued. Whom ever told you you had to wait until recharter time is full of it

[Nuts4Scouts]

They don't need to wait until they receive new Boy Scout membership cards to be considered Boy Scouts. As long as the youth application/transfer has been processed by the Troop, and sent into your Council they are considered registered Boy Scouts.

Only registered Boy Scouts can work on, and earn, Boy Scout awards, and ranks. Cub Scouts, even Webelos Cub Scouts, can NOT.

[WeeWillie]

The application includes a temporary membership card.

The purpose on MBs and rank advancement is to actually learn something not just check off a requirement. There is no reason why a WB can't work on a BSA advancement requirement and then demonstrate it to a troop leader or MBC AFTER being registered in Scouts.

[smtroop168]

The application includes a temporary membership card.

The purpose on MBs and rank advancement is to actually learn something not just check off a requirement. There is no reason why a WB can't work on a BSA advancement requirement and then demonstrate it to a troop leader or MBC AFTER being registered in Scouts.

Depends on what you consider "work" on. If the W2 wants to practice a square knot which he needs for the AOL and Scout Badge (but then again the Scout Badge is not a Rank) go ahead. Or if he wants to "work on" repeating the Scout Oath and Law for Tenderfoot go ahead.

He cannot get credit for any BSA rank or MB requirements done while he is a Cub or if he wasn't a Cub before he joined. He needs a signed BC for MBs anyway before he starts one. New book will be explicit in this.

[FrankJ]

We need a tongue in cheek icon.

We allow the scouts to start working on requirements when they join the troop. It might be a bit of time for the parent to fill out & return the app. It might be week or two before the apps are dropped of at council. For troops on the other end of the council, I could see the time lag being longer. Although it is not usually the case, but I have seen our council sit on the paper work for months. No way I am going to tell a scout "sorry you have to wait for the process". Occasionally the paperwork will get lost somewhere in the process. It will not get caught until recharter.

When the applications are submitted cards are issued. Whom ever told you you had to wait until recharter time is full of it

Out of all the applications I have submitted to council, I have never had a membership card given to me. The temp on that is part of the app excepted. Although it is mostly a formality, the DE has to approve them before they can be processed.
In past years our membership cards are put in the recharter packet for the next year. Not a big deal really i just put mine in a file. I have yet to actually use it for anything.

[wagionvigil]

When the applications are submitted cards are issued. Whom ever told you you had to wait until recharter time is full of it

Out of all the applications I have submitted to council, I have never had a membership card given to me. The temp on that is part of the app excepted. Although it is mostly a formality, the DE has to approve them before they can be processed.
In past years our membership cards are put in the recharter packet for the next year. Not a big deal really i just put mine in a file. I have yet to actually use it for anything.

[/quote]

I guess living in a small council has it advantages It is called service to the scouts and units. The cards are not immediate but within a short wait the cards are sent. But the scout has that temporary card from the Application. Adults are a different story because of checking everything.

[Mrw]

Our council is good about processing the boys applications, especially transfers from Cubs - usually done as I wait and before I even pay their $1 transfer fee.

Adults can take a couple months to show on the charter due to the time for the backgrounds checks. Cards seem to take a couple months to follow.

There are a couple businesses that give scout discounts with a membership card, so I do carry mine if I am off shopping for camping stuff. Sometimes online is cheaper, sometimes the outdoor store with the discount.

[kwildman]

Transfer applications or new applications must be sent in at the time the scouts join and NOT held to recharter. Not only does this affect advancement it also affects your insurance for your unit and these youths. This was one of the biggest fights I had with units when i was district membership chair. There were all kinds of dumb reasons for not submitting the applications. This got solved when our council made the move to 100% online advancement. You could probably get by with working on a merit badge or rank before the application is processed. However, with online advancement how are you going to award a rank to someone that doesnt show up in your membership roster. The date of the scout badge, merit badge, or tenderfoot rank can not be before the joining date.

[smtroop168]

DEs will also hold apps to "make their numbers". Happens more when scouts turn 18 and want to become ASMs. They are "held" as BS on the rolls until the BS snapshot is taken for accounting purposes.